Jollibee Group’s Danao Commissary in Cebu has earned LEED Gold certification after cutting energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions by 82.1%, setting a new sustainability benchmark for Philippine manufacturing.
Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. (JLL), a global professional services firm in real estate and investment management, served as the project’s LEED consultant and sustainability adviser. The certification process was completed in May 2026.
“Manufacturing is one of the most demanding environments to certify because there is no off-the-shelf LEED pathway for a facility like Danao Commissary,” said Nix Garchitorena, consultant for LEED and project manager for Sustainability Consulting at JLL. “Working closely with GBCI (Green Business Certification Inc.), we partnered with the Jollibee Group project team to chart the most effective path to LEED Gold certification, developing the LEED scorecard that served as the project’s blueprint throughout design and construction.”
The roughly 18,000-square-meter food manufacturing facility became the first manufacturing plant in the Philippines to receive LEED certification for interior design and construction.
It earned Gold under the LEED v4.1 ID+C: Commercial Interiors rating system, a widely recognized global standard for green buildings. The US Green Building Council administers LEED, while Green Business Certification Inc. handles certification.
The project recorded an 82.1% reduction in energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, a 76.95% decrease in indoor water use, and a 99.38% construction waste diversion rate. These results were verified by a third party.
The savings show how sustainability upgrades can help Philippine manufacturers lower operating costs and environmental impact without disrupting production.
Because LEED has no standard certification route specifically for manufacturing plants, JLL worked with GBCI to identify the appropriate path. Its work included energy modeling, systems testing, and a renewable energy study.
“Earning LEED Gold while the commissary remained in active operation required tight integration of design, commissioning, and energy strategy,” said Mugundhan Kesavan, LEED consultant for Sustainability Consulting at JLL.